Winter is here so why not take to the road?

It’s cold outside but cars have heaters and there are few greater pleasures than driving through a snowy wonderland cocooned in warmth and comfort. Read on for some of our favourite winter road trips.

The North Coast 500

Winter may not, at first thought, seem the season to explore the Highlands – the farther north you go, the shorter the days. But Scotland’s rugged northern scenery rarely looks more dramatic than in wintertime with snow-capped mountains and frost-laden moorland.

Plus, tourist season is well and truly over so you’ll have vast swathes of scenery all to yourself. Just make sure you’re up early and make the most of the daylight.

No other route gives a more complete tour of the Highlands’ splendour than the North Coast 500.

Billed as Scotland’s answer to Route 66, the tour launched last year and has already been named one of the top five coastal driving routes in the world by a leading travel magazine – taking its place alongside the Pacific Coast Highway in California and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

The 500-mile circular route starts and finishes in Inverness and can be tackled from east to west or west to east. It forms a loop around the northern tip of Scotland, from Inverness to John o’ Groats in the north-east, along the stark sea of the north to Durness, then down the convoluted west coast before turning inland at the Applecross peninsula.

You need around four or five days to do the NC500 by car or motorbike. It’s popular with cyclists, too, and takes anywhere from eight to 14 days, depending on your fitness (and how comfortable your saddle is).

The route was put together by the North Highland Initiative, a non-profit organisation established by Prince Charles to boost visitor numbers to, and appreciation of, the northern Highlands. With castles both restored and ruined, jagged mountains, rugged coastlines, lochs, glens, fishing villages and glorious beaches, nothing encompasses what Highland Scotland is all about quite like the North Coast 500.

Fife

The Fife Coastal Tourist Route runs 85 miles around the beautiful north east coast of the Kingdom of Fife and takes you to some of the region’s most attractive corners.

From its famous bridges, passing through historic towns and the picturesque fishing villages of the East Neuk with their distinctive, pantiled roofs and unspoilt beaches, the Coastal Tourist Route gives a taste of all that Fife has to offer.

Whilst cruising along you will find superb sandy beaches, many of which hold the coveted European Blue Flag Award, including Elie and Burntisland. Or you could sample one of the worldclass golf courses which hug the coast.

Don’t miss Deep Sea World at North Queensferry, where the underwater safari will take you exploring far beneath the waves. The scenery is also breathtaking, with panoramic views of the Firth of Forth and out to the North Sea.

If you fancy a spot of fresh air, you can park up and walk along the Fife Coastal Path, which now extends from the Royal Burgh of Culross to the Tay Bridge.

Perthshire

The Perthshire Tourist Route begins just north of Dunblane and takes you to Ballinluig near Pitlochry. A very attractive alternative to the main A9, the route runs through fertile, rolling farmland before arriving at the pleasant hillside town of Crieff.

Thereafter, the lush, cultivated landscape changes dramatically and gives way to the rugged splendour of the Sma’ Glen with its connections to Ossian and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Descend from here to the holiday centre of Aberfeldy and skirt the fast-flowing River Tay on the A827, rejoining the A9 near Pitlochry.

It’s arguably as beautiful a 45-mile drive as you’ll find anywhere in Scotland. The Angus Coastal Route The Angus Coastal Route begins in Dundee – the city of jam, jute and journalism, which has top attractions such as the RSS Discovery – and takes you 58 miles through Angus and north to Aberdeen. Along the way you will find the spectacular coastline dotted with picturesque seaside resorts – Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, Carnoustie, Arbroath, Montrose, Inverbervie and Stonehaven.

You’ll also enjoy sandy beaches, championship golf courses, nature reserves, country parks and a fertile countryside reaching inland through the Mearns and the Vale of Strathmore to the scenic splendour of the Angus Glens and the Grampians.

There are few greater pleasures than driving through a snowy wonderland coccooned in warmth and comfort